This invention relates to a method and a system for acquiring maintenance information, which are capable of easily monitoring and confirming an internal state of a control apparatus as a maintenance object, such as a computer and an apparatus or a system including a computer unit. According to the method and the system, an executing state of a program in the control apparatus being operated is acquired in correspondence to necessary maintenance information and stored in memory means. The maintenance information stored in the memory means is read and confirmed if necessary. In particular, this invention relates to a method and a system for acquiring maintenance information, which enable a maintainer to easily judge an internal condition of an apparatus as a maintenance object irrespective of various factors such as structural limitation of the apparatus, a state of trouble, and an environment of installation.
An existing method and an existing system for acquiring maintenance information have already been put into practical use as an IC (Integrated Circuit) card in a monitoring system for a microcomputer control equipment (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (JP-A) No. H1-310451) or a card memory in a monitoring/diagnosing apparatus for an electric control system (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (JP-A) No. H2-220597).
Referring to FIG. 1, an existing system will be described. A control apparatus 110 such as a computer comprises a function execution processing section 111 for processing execution of a predetermined function by the use of a program. During processing of execution of the predetermined function, historical data or log data are successively recorded in a historical data memory 112 and a processing state is monitored. Upon occurrence of trouble in the control apparatus 110, an alarm indicator section 113 produces a visible and audible alarm to notify the occurrence of trouble to a user or a maintainer.
In this case, it is possible to examine the trouble if the control apparatus 110 can be operated and the log data recorded in the historical data memory 112 can be read. Sometimes, however, the log data can not be read due to power-off or a failure in the function execution processing section 111.
In order to avoid the above-mentioned problem, the system illustrated in FIG. 1 uses an IC card 100 containing an IC memory. Specifically, the control apparatus 110 further comprises a read/write section (hereinafter abbreviated to a R/W section) 114 for writing the log data recorded in the historical data memory 112 into the IC card 100 and for reading memory information from the IC card 100 and writing the memory information into the historical data memory 112, and an IC card mounting section 115 for receiving the IC card 100 inserted into the apparatus 110 and electrically connecting the IC card 100 to the R/W section 114. For example, every time when the historical data memory 112 records data, the R/W section 114 writes the same data into the IC card 100 mounted to the IC card mounting section 115.
The above-mentioned method and the above-mentioned system for acquiring maintenance information by the use of the IC card are practically effective. However, the IC card must be mounted in order to obtain information. By overwriting the historical data such as program execution data after the data are accumulated in a predetermined period or in a predetermined amount, the storage capacity of the IC card can be saved. However, in order to monitor the operating condition, the IC card must be taken out from the control apparatus. Therefore, if the IC card is lost or if another IC card is not inserted by mistake after the IC card is taken out, the maintenance information may possibly be lost in the above-mentioned method or system.
The above-mentioned disadvantage is a serious bottleneck in acquisition of the maintenance information continuously monitored in order to grasp the operating condition upon occurrence of trouble in the control apparatus.
In order to avoid the above-mentioned problem, proposal is made of methods using an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag instead of the IC card (See Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publications (JP-A) Nos. 2002-124891 and 2002-37414.
The RFID tag has an RF-ID (Radio Frequency Identification) function allowing non-contact identification of an object via a radio wave from an outside of the object when the RFID tag is attached to the object.
Referring to FIG. 2, an RFID tag 20 is attached to an item 210 as a maintenance object and includes an antenna 21 and an IC chip 22 inside the RFID tag 20. The IC chip 22 comprises a transmitter/receiver section 23 connected to the antenna 21, a control section 24, and a memory 25. Outside the RFID tag 20, a reader/writer 30 is provided to write data into the memory 25 or read data written in the memory 25.
With the above-mentioned structure, the antenna 21 receives a radio wave from the reader/writer 30 approaching the antenna 21 and produces induced power to drive the IC chip 22. In response to a read request from the reader/writer 30, the transmitter/receiver section 23 transmits the data stored in the memory 25 under control of the control section 24. In response to a write request from the reader/writer 30, the transmitter/receiver section 23 writes received data into the memory 25 under control of the control section 24.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (JP-A) No. 2002-124891 discloses an information acquisition assisting method using an RFID tag. The RFID tag is mounted to a component as an object of information acquisition. Reading/writing operations for the memory of the RFID tag are carried out by a mobile terminal. In this method, necessary information containing professional knowledge related to the object with the RFID tag attached thereto can easily be acquired at a place where the object is present.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (JP-A) No. 2002-37414 discloses a technique in which product information specific to a product and purchaser information specific to a purchaser of the product are written in an IC chip contained in a tag. This technique is intended to prevent loss of memory information resulting from the use of the IC card and to read information in the tag while the tag is kept attached to the product.
In either of the Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publications (JP-A) Nos. 2002-124891 and 2002-37414, writing into the RFID tag is carried out by an external writer and reading from the RFID tag is carried out by an external reader. Read data are sent to a computer separately provided and a lot of information corresponding to specific information read from the RFID tag can be received from the computer.
Recently, it is mandatory to apply a VCCI (Voluntary Control Council for Interference by Information Technology Equipment) standard to a wide range of control apparatuses in electric products.
As described above, if the memory storing maintenance information for a maintenance object is the card-type IC memory, the memory may possibly be lost or may be damaged due to penetration of dust or wastewater through a card slot. On the other hand, the RFID tag is capable of removing the above-mentioned disadvantage in the IC card. However, the RFID tag only has a function of transmitting and receiving object-specific or inherent information to and from the outside of the maintenance object and does not have a function of retrieving information in the object. Further, as another condition, application of the VCCI standard is regarded important.